Purchase of additional annual leave - Cumbria …

1 Page 1 of 9 HR/Policy Name version number Date additional annual leave Purchase SCHEME Introduction Cumbria County Council is committed to protecting the health and well-being of their employees and this scheme is intended to assist employees in balancing their home and work life. There may be instances for example where a member of staff: o Is planning a special event or trip o Needs extra leave for personal reasons o Simply would like more annual leave Benefits of adopting this Policy may be the contribution of achieving Council cost savings, reduction in absence levels and an improvement in levels of morale and motivation, whilst enabling Council employees to better meet their personal commitments. However as with any flexible working scheme it is of paramount importance to maintain provision of the Council s services.

2 Purpose The purpose of the annual leave Purchase scheme is to provide employees with additional flexibility in respect of planned time off work. The additional annual leave is unpaid, the cost of which will be deducted from an employee s salary over their annual leave year. This will ensure that the employee continues to receive a monthly salary, at a reduced rate to reflect the unpaid leave . This scheme provides the opportunity to buy up to 2 working weeks (pro-rata if appropriate) additional annual leave in each leave year, with deductions in pay spread over 12 months. Employment would not be broken during the unpaid leave period(s) and continuous service would be maintained. Approval of any additional annual leave Purchase is not guaranteed, and would always be subject to the operational requirements of the service which must remain a priority.

3 Page 2 of 9 HR/Policy Name version number Date Scope This scheme applies to all Council employees (with the exception of schools-based staff) whether they are full-time, part-time, part-year, temporary or permanent irrespective of length of service. Requests from Council employees who are based in schools will be dealt with on a case by case basis with due regard to the operational needs of the school. Principles The maximum amount of additional annual leave that any employee may ' Purchase ' in any one leave year is 2 working weeks (max 10 days for full-time staff, pro-rata for part-time / part-year staff). An employee who wishes to Purchase additional annual leave must make a request in writing to their line / service manager. Separate requests must be made for each leave year and applications should be submitted no later than two months before the start of each leave year.

4 The Council reserves the right to refuse an employee's application to Purchase additional annual leave . It may be necessary to refuse an employee's request for operational or technical reasons related to their job. If approval is not given, managers must give reasons and explore other options with the employee. additional annual leave should be applied for and taken in the line with the normal annual leave procedures. Any deductions from salary to pay for the additional leave will be made monthly and calculated at the employee s rate of pay as at the date of the agreement. There will be no increase in the normal leave carry forward provisions and managers and employees must ensure proper planning and management of the taking of the additional annual leave . If, having purchased additional annual leave , the employee fails to take it before the end of the relevant leave year, the leave will be lost and no reimbursement made.

5 Where a request has been received and approved, the employee will be notified in writing by their line / service manager and the appropriate change to their pay notified to them by the HR Service Centre. Employees leaving the Council will be reimbursed if the salary deductions on leaving amount to more than the leave taken. If on leaving, the value of the salary deductions made during the relevant leave year are less than the value of the leave taken, the Council reserves the right (in line with contractual provision) to require repayment and will be entitled to deduct the outstanding amount from salary or other payment due to the employee. If the final salary Page 3 of 9 HR/Policy Name version number Date is not sufficient to allow for the whole of such a deduction, the employee will be required to repay the outstanding amount within one month of the date of termination of their employment.

6 Roles and Responsibilities Employees will:- o Complete the application form and submit it to their line manager two months prior to the start of their annual leave year. o Note that by completing and submitting the request for additional leave form that, if approved, this form (together with contractual provision) also constitutes their consent to any applicable salary adjustment. o Discuss the proposal and any options with their line manager o Seek appropriate advice as necessary regarding the statutory pension requirements relating to their application from Your Pension Service (YPS), PO Box 100, County Hall, Preston, Lancashire PR1 0LD, , tel: (01772 530530) o Ensure they fully consider the financial implications for themselves of the monthly deductions from their salary o Ensure proper management of their leave throughout their leave year in order to ensure that all additional annual leave is taken prior to the end of the leave year.

7 Line / Service Managers will:- o Assess the request for purchasing additional annual leave , liaising with their directorate HR team, considering the operational feasibility of granting the request; including ensuring that the additional leave can be accommodated within the employee s leave year. o Treat all applications equally. o Communicate the decision in writing within 10 working days of receiving the application. o Inform the HR Service Centre of the employee s intention to Purchase additional annual leave . o Ensure proper management of the employee s leave throughout their leave year in order to ensure that all additional annual leave is taken prior to the end of the leave year. HR Service Centre will:- o On receipt of an additional annual leave Purchase Scheme Application form the HR Service Centre will notify the employee of their revised monthly salary.

8 O Adjust the employee s monthly salary. Page 4 of 9 HR/Policy Name version number Date Procedure o Employees must complete the Request to Purchase additional annual leave Application form Appendix 1, no later than two months prior to the start of their annual leave year and submit it to their line manager. This is to ensure deductions from salary can be spread over the relevant leave year. o Employees who Purchase additional leave must continue to make pension contributions based upon the gross amount of pensionable pay they receive; ie contributions must be maintained at the original level throughout the year. Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) Regulations 2008 apply and contributions cannot be forgone in respect of the additional annual leave .

9 O Approval of additional annual leave is at the discretion of the relevant Line Manager and is subject to the operational needs of the Council. o There is no automatic right to additional annual leave , however every application will be fully considered on its merits. o Approval of any additional annual leave purchased must be recorded on the employee s leave record. additional annual leave should be applied for and taken in the line with the normal annual leave procedures and the days taken recorded on the Employee leave form and authorised in the normal way. o Once an agreement has been entered into it will be valid for the relevant leave year. Any employee wishing to withdraw from an agreement must give at least two months notice. o A separate request must be made for each leave year no later than two months prior to the relevant leave year.

10 O If having purchased additional annual leave , the employee fails to take it before the end of the relevant leave year the leave will be lost, with no reimbursement. Managers and employees must ensure the additional leave can be accommodated prior to the manager s approval. o Employees leaving the organisation will be reimbursed any outstanding additional annual leave purchased and payments will be recovered in line with contractual provision if the employee has taken in excess of their purchased additional annual leave . o On receipt of a completed Request to Purchase additional annual leave Application form the manager will assess the operational feasibility of granting the request. This will include a full assessment of whether or not the additional annual leave can be accommodated within the employee s annual leave year, taking into account the operational needs of the department / service area.